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Should Apple Kill Siri and Start Over?

4/19/2024

It seems that during slow news cycles, the tech blogs needs something to talk about, so that means they are back on their favorite punching bag named Siri.

Below are some related articles that addressed this issue years ago. The second post below actually has a link to the same 2016 article as the MacRumors forum used again, here in 2024: ( forums.macrumors.com/threads/should-apple-kill-siri-and-start-over.2424431/ )

Apple is doomed! If....
Another Siri bashing article and another response
Siri Rants - Much ado about nothing
Apple Privacy vs others

First off, I find it to be very funny that the same guy that caused all the stir with Apple Music because he didn't back up his music and somehow lost it when matching, is back being quoted by the outlets again! He apparently bought 8 HomePods and just now figured out that Siri doesn't work to his liking? I guess he never used it on any of his other Apple products and never read an article about it, but went out and bought EIGHT HomePods? I find that laughable, but it sure drives a slow tech news day!

I am far from saying Siri is a perfect piece of tech or even getting better. For example, I don't like it when I ask the HomePod a question and it says to go to the phone for results. As I mentioned in my original HomePod video, I have Amazon Echos around the house for questions like "how long is a ferret". The funny thing is HomePod still can't answer the question. Below is a video I put out in 2018 about the HomePod with my off the cuff opinions at the time. Note: Airplay 2 can be lossy, unlike Airplay 1. Obviously, other things have changed in 5 years...

Who was correct in 2016?

While I admit Siri hasn't gotten much better in the last 5 years, Apple's stock is up by 222.4 percent since these articles were first written. They are in a down market at the moment, so that number was even higher just a few months ago. Were the doom and gloomers correct?

As you can see, Apple has done well despite Siri. The fact is, they have been too successful, at least in the USA. Part of the reason their stock is down is because the DOJ has filed a lawsuit stating Apple is now a monopoly. Maybe they should have made Siri even worse?

The Upcoming AI War

It appears Apple is behind on this, but we don't really know. They are supposed to be making a bigger leap into AI later this year. Is it tied to Siri, is it a third party implementation, or is it something else? It all remains to be seen. I hope it is better than Google's Gemini AI engine that has been described as "woke" for making George Washington black and the Pope an Asian woman along with numerous other examples. ( is-googles-gemini-chatbot-woke-by-accident-or-design )

Wow! It sure looks like Google needs to go back to the drawing board on this one!

Wrap Up

So here we are seven years after the initial articles were written. Is Apple able to still sell iPhones with this "huge" shortfall? Um, yeah. Is their market share up? Um yeah. Do they have a product that tells you George Washington was black? Umm no.

As I said, Siri still has most of the main shortfalls it had seven years ago. Is that disappointing..yep! Has it had any impact on iPhone sells? I don't see it. Should Apple do better.. Yes! Do we really know where Apple is going with AI...Not really.

I guess we are still in "stay tuned" mode, but if they actually released a product with AI that was as inaccurate as Google's, the critics would be skipping the latest Siri rehash for more exciting articles claiming "Apple is doomed"!

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Personal Guide to Spring/Summer

4/15/2024

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I just bought a few things to better enjoy Spring and Summer, so I was thinking about the things I have, the things I want, and other things that will (hopefully) get me out of the house in the coming months.

Backyard Fun

One of the main reasons I bought this house so many years ago was the great backyard that had a pool, a nice deck, and some space for pups to roam around.

1. Grilling out - I have been on Atkins/Keto for a few weeks now and grilling out is even more of a necessity these days. Some of my favorite ways to do this are with using a Big Green Egg for smoking meats and a Weber Spirit S-315 for gas grilling when I want to cook something quickly. The combination is ideal since I can smoke a Brisket for 24 hours, or sour vide a steak and throw it on the Weber for a quick sear. With the Big Green Egg, I bought a DigiQ/Pit Viper that allows you to cook overnight and have great confidence that your fire will stay where you want it. I also have a digital wireless thermometer that lets me see the grill and food temperature from inside the house. To round it out, a subscription to Butcher Box insures we have good quality meat delivered to us monthly.

2. Pool/Hot Tub - One of my favorite things to do in the hot Memphis summer is swim in the pool. We are adding some lighting around the pool to keep it lit on evenings we want to spend out there. Mosquito Authority helps keep the bites to a minimum. I use a Dolphin Proteus DX4 Automatic Robotic Pool Cleaner to clean the pool and the pool has been converted to salt to make maintenance as easy as possible. I am currently trying to get my hot tub fixed which is one of my favorite things to enjoy on Spring evenings. Unfortunately, my pool guy is really dragging his feet on this, so who know when it might be back up and running,

3. Apple Watch - This can count my laps, play music on my Bluetooth Outdoor Alpine speakers, set an alarm on when to check the grill, be used as flashlight when I need to see the pump after dark, and even gives me some peace of mind due to the fall detection feature. It is also nice to play back a podcast on its native speaker using iCatcher!

4. Drinks - what's better than drinks by the pool? Whether that is a cappuccino made on our Breville espresso machine in the morning or a margarita whipped up with our Ninja Blender, we enjoy a nice drink out by the pool.

5. Movie Night - For fun, when we have a nice evening, we like to pull our 100 inch tripod mounted screen out near the pool and watch movies on the projector. Of course, you lose some of the subwoofer effects, but something is fun about watching a movie on a big screen while enjoying the Spring and Summer air. Of course, you want to be comfy, so we are replacing some cushions on our sectional as we get ready for the season.

6. For Photography, this is the time to get out that macro lens for flowers and insects and the 100-400mm lens to hopefully catch some of those birds in flight!

Of course, you have to have some accessories...hoses, wasp spray, sunscreen, sunglasses, baseball caps, fedora hats, outdoor umbrellas, hummingbird feeders, bird houses, crocs (yes, I said crocs!), kindle for laying in the sun, and an iPad for shade, some earbuds for days you are outside alone, etc.

Naturally, I also want to get out on the road in the Jeep. I got a RollnJack to help remove the top and some new seat covers to make the aging Jeepster feel a bit young again. I also have a soft top in the shed, that hopefully held up, that I can put on the Jeep this summer. It's nice to just pop open the "sunroof" in a matter of seconds rather than taking five or more minutes to remove and store the freedom panels. Also, windows can be removed to give you that open feel without getting out and having no coverage from a pop-up storm. I added CarPlay a few years back, so an iPhone is obviously a necessity. I also recently added a car seat for pups, so we are ready for adventure!

Finally, there are a few things I would love to add over time. A pizza oven is high on this list. The Big Green Egg works fine for pizza, but I would still love to have a dedicated pizza oven. I have also been thinking about a new bike. If possible, I would love to just have my current bike fixed, I just have a feeling it will cost nearly as much as a full replacement.

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Should Apple Kill Siri and Start Over?

Who was correct in 2016?

The Upcoming AI War

Wrap Up

Personal Guide to Spring/Summer

Backyard Fun

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